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Only in America can you take an accident and turn it into a competition.

“On a belt sander there is a trigger on the machine that you can click to keep it powered so you don’t have to keep your finger on it,” explained Jeff Salmon, executive director of Frontier Texas!

At some point, somebody inadvertently left that switch depressed when they went to plug their sander back in. Once power reconnected to the device, it likely shot across the room.

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Two belt sanders race down the track Oct. 12, 2017. The Texas State Belt Sander Championships were a fundraiser for Frontier Texas!(Photo: Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News)

Salmon theorized that after the initial shock and swearing over whatever damage might have been done, the next thought was likely what led to the museum’s fundraiser earlier this month: “Hey, I wonder if my sander is faster than my buddy’s?”

The Texas State Championship Belt Sander Races were held at Frontier Texas! because, well, why not? There are races at a number of places, Salmon said, but not a state championship.

The museum invited sponsors to bring their sanders to race on a custom track set up on the parade grounds. It’s basically drag racing power tools; the power cords are arranged so the machines can travel down the track without unplugging. Heavy padding stops them at the end.

Lots of folks customize their sanders. Warren Harkins defiled his by decorating it with Oklahoma Sooners iconography. His Boomer Sooner left his brother Dale’s Varmint sander, basically a stuffed raccoon strapped atop the power tool, in the sawdust.